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Practice squad players moving up to the main roster

Teams now have more flexibility with using practice squad players on game day. PS players can be activated on game day before the team announces their inactives (90 minutes before game time). The player doesn’t have to be elevated from the PS to the main roster for the move. This can happen with up to two practice squad players per week, but the same player can’t be elevated two weeks in a row. A player is only able to be elevated twice per season. To be put activated a third time requires the player to be signed to the regular roster.

This is a big change from previous years, and makes it easier for teams to have players they know and trust on game day, and also not have to subject them to waivers when they are signed to the main roster and cut to get back to the practice squad. If players test positive for COVID-19 during the season they will miss time, and this is an easy way to have other players available to replace them.

More protection

The NFL also added a new wrinkle to the practice squad that provides teams with some limited protections for keeping practice squad players. Teams can designate four players every week that are protected from being signed by other teams. This protection starts on Tuesday each week, so every practice squad player is still available to be signed to the regular roster of another team after their team’s game that week until the deadline on Tuesday.